If you’re one of the millions of individuals who own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone or tablet, we highly suggest you drop everything you’re doing and update your device, pronto. The cause for concern is a critical security vulnerability on Android’s end, referred to as CVE-2025-21043. Detected via WhatsApp, the culprit is an image-parsing library at libimagecodec.quram. This third-party software has an out-of-bounds write vulnerability, causing the program’s memory allocation to go haywire. Amidst this internal chaos, hackers are able to exploit the system’s writing process with malicious code.
Samsung has clarified that this type of vulnerability has been successfully used to target Galaxy devices in the past, which is why you don’t want to put off updating any longer than you have to — any amount of dawdling could put any private data stored on your phone at serious risk.
WhatsApp has also released its own patch in response to the system exploit. Even if you’re using an iPhone or another type of non-Galaxy device, now is definitely the best time to make sure your phone or tablet is running the latest OS and app versions.
Who’s at risk, and how to update your device
The CVE-2025-21043 vulnerability affects anyone with a Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet running Android 13 or newer. Unlike Apple’s iOS updates that are available in all corners of the globe when they’re released, the timing of when you’ll be able to download Samsung’s emergency patch depends entirely on what device you’re using, what region you live in, and what carrier you use.
If your Samsung device is set up to receive automatic updates, your phone or tablet will implement the emergency patch the moment it becomes available. For those of us who prefer manually updating mobile software, grab your Samsung Galaxy, open the Settings app, and tap Software update.
You should then see one of three options (based on your carrier): Download and install, Check for system updates, or Check for software updates. Select one of these options to begin the update process. You can also check to see what software version your Galaxy is currently running by tapping Settings > About phone > Software information.
Mobile security is a constant game of tug of war
Software exploits are one of the main gateways for hackers to dip into our personal devices and user data. This is why it’s critical to update your phone or tablet as soon as the device or software manufacturer gives you the tools to do so. And don’t forget to restart your device once the update has been installed.
In this case, both Samsung and WhatsApp are actively working to block those hacker gateways, but this won’t be the only time a zero-day vulnerability makes its way to a device you own. One should also be wary when it comes to downloading any files, apps, or attachments from an untrustworthy source. A good rule of thumb for questionable downloads: if it looks unsafe, it probably is unsafe.
Staying on top of security bulletins from the likes of Samsung, Google, WhatsApp, and other device and app developers is one of the best ways to stay in the know about dangerous hackers on the prowl. As they say, the best offense is a good defense, and when was the last time a sports analogy was wrong?
